NBA 2016-17

ZDwyr

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Not sure I agree with the TWolves being above the Thunder. I might be completely wrong, but I think Thunder will definitely be a #4 seed at a minimum.

EDIT: Portland above Pelicans and Utah for me, too.
 

Sarni

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Not sure I agree with the TWolves being above the Thunder. I might be completely wrong, but I think Thunder will definitely be a #4 seed at a minimum.

EDIT: Portland above Pelicans and Utah for me, too.
West is very tricky at the moment bar top 3. Warriors will definitely come out on top and the 2nd seed is a toss between Rockets and Spurs (Rockets have a better team but Spurs are Spurs), then #4 seed could go to anybody. Clippers will fall behind now that Paul is gone and Utah will not be as good without Hayward so in theory it should be Thunder and I am almost sure it will be them. It's almost like people already forgot they just got Paul George (who replaces Oladipo so it's a massive boost) and their team is probably better now than Spurs are but will miss out on top 3 because of weaker depth. Actually when I think of it, they might even finish above Rockets.

Timberwolves I would not judge before we see them play. Teague is not a clear improvement over Rubio and while Butler is excellent, you cannot forget that they were well below 40 wins last season and have not got to .500 in ages. Butler and Towns is a good core but they still have almost zero floor spacing, clear weakness at power forward and lack of winning experience. I won't be surprised if my Blazers finish above them. I fully expect us to finish above Jazz too, I don't see how they are better than Portland without Hayward.

Behind top 4 in West it's a toss. Portland, New Orleans, Minnesota, Utah, Memphis, Clippers and Denver will all aspire to make playoffs but only 4 of them will. Dallas, Lakers, Phoenix and Sacramento are clearly building for future and have no chance now.
 

Sarni

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Not expecting a great season from my Knicks, but sorry the Magic aren't get more wins I don't think. They are terrible.
Magic are IMO a bottom 3 team next season. They will probably deal Vucevic to get even worse too. I mean, Payton/Fournier/Ross/Gordon/Biyombo is a brutal lineup. Maybe Isaac will improve them.
 

Sarni

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And I feel confident 76ers will get more wins than Hornets. I don't get what Hornets have done to be rated this high. How do they suddenly become better than Raptors?
 

Scarecrow

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And I feel confident 76ers will get more wins than Hornets. I don't get what Hornets have done to be rated this high. How do they suddenly become better than Raptors?
It's based on RPM. It's a purely statistical ranking.
 

Sarni

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It's based on RPM. It's a purely statistical ranking.
Ah I see. Nonetheless, my expectations are:

West:
1. Warriors 65-70 wins
2. Spurs 55-60 wins
3. Rockets 55-60 wins
4. Thunder 55-60 wins
5. Timberwolves 50-55 wins
6. Trail Blazers 45-50 wins
7. Nuggets 45-50 wins
8. Grizzlies 40-45 wins
---
9. Pelicans 40-45 wins
10. Clippers 35-40 wins
11. Jazz 35-40 wins

But from 5-11 anything could happen.

East:
1. Celtics 55-60 wins
2. Cavaliers 55-60 wins
3. Raptors 45-50 wins
4. Wizards 45-50 wins
5. Bucks 45-50 wins
6. Heat 45-50 wins
7. 76ers 40-45 wins
8. Knicks 40-45 wins